


Me and My Shadow

by SaskiaK



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Apparent split personality, Low Self-Esteem, Magic, The Shadow Side, Trainee Fairies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2018-11-18 15:43:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11293722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaskiaK/pseuds/SaskiaK
Summary: Frankie is a trainee fairy godfather. Gerard is a struggling artist with low self-esteem who happens to be Frankie's first client. Frankie really only wants to help but when Gerard is accidentally separated from his shadow, he can only watch as it enjoys the life he always wanted. When he finally realises his shadow is taking over, will he be able to regain control over it and his life?





	1. Believe!

_Carl Gustav Jung, said: “The Shadow is the unknown ‘dark side’ of our personality – dark both because it tends to consist predominantly of the primitive, negative, socially or religiously depreciated human emotions and impulses like sexual lust, power strivings, selfishness, greed, envy, anger or rage, and due to its unenlightened nature, completely obscured from consciousness.”_

Of course, Jung was referring to aspects of personality; he had no idea that our actual shadows were the very embodiment of these traits.

Gerard knows, or at least, he will shortly.

 

It was the fourth interview Gerard had attended and even before he walked in, he knew he wasn’t going to get the job – just like he hadn’t managed to get any of the others. Fresh out of art college with a bachelor’s degree and serious talent, well that’s what he had been told in college. He only wished he believed it, no strike that, he wished he could come anywhere close to believing it. It didn’t matter what Mikey said; he was family and family will lie to you if they think it would help. It didn’t matter what Ray said to him; Ray was his best friend and, well, similar story. It never actually occurred to him at any point that friends and family also tell the truth.

It was a huge building, with all the noise and bustle of a successful business. The noise of copiers, printers, people clacking away on keyboards dealing with the vast amount of administration aspects of such a large company filled his ears as he was led through to the art department. There his eyes widened as he drank in the beautiful sight of row after row of large spacious cubicles each with its own adjustable drawing board, surrounded by pens, pencils, inks, acetates and every piece of equipment he had ever dreamed of using. This was Heaven and he tried his best to imagine himself hunched over one of the drawing boards, creating brand new superheroes, perhaps an award or two gracing the cubicle. He had a wonderful imagination, but somehow it stopped short of actually picturing himself in that scene. Deflated, he followed Miss Birch, Mr Jenson’s secretary toward the office at the end of the corridor.

“Excuse me, Mr Jenson,” Miss Birch spoke softly as she entered the office. “Mr Way to see you regarding the Design Artist post.”  
“Ah, yes,” he gestured to the woman. “Send him in.”

“Good morning, Mr…”  
“Take a seat,” he interrupted brusquely.

The office was imposing and well-equipped with a large centrally located desk. Gerard couldn’t help but notice the power dynamic in the room; the man behind the desk was seated in a luxurious, black leather, high-backed office chair, whilst Gerard was hunched over almost apologetically in a much smaller chair. Even without him being almost folded in on himself he appeared lost in comparison. Another apparently calculated move was that the window blinds were letting in sunlight that fell directly over Gerard’s chair, forcing him to squint uncomfortably. Jenson had neither shaken his hand nor shown any interest in him since he had walked in.

Sitting in the small chair, Gerard placed his portfolio across his lap and looked up at Jenson expectantly. The man in his late fifties merely leaned back in the chair and raised an eyebrow.

“Well, show me your work, I don’t have x-ray vision, you know.”

The unnecessary sharpness of his tone surprised Gerard and he almost dropped the portfolio as he began to unzip the large black case. Standing up, he opened the folder across the desk and began to talk in detail about what he considered were his best pieces. How he had conceived the new characters, what traits, quirks and powers they possessed. He even began outlining a possible storyline. He was happiest when talking about his art. It filled him with joy and it gave him purpose.

“Tell me about yourself,” Jenson interrupted him, almost intent on making him feel ill at ease.

Gerard always hated that question; he was no good at selling himself and even as he thought about what to say, his mouth dried and he even felt slightly light-headed. Fighting off the terrible feeling, Gerard stumbled through an account of what led him to art and to that company in particular. Well, not the truth for the latter, obviously. The truth was, he’d tried his first three choices and he was getting desperate. Even as he spoke, he could almost feel Jenson shutting down.

Offering a somewhat bored sigh as he closed the folder on the desk in front of him, Jenson eyed him curiously.

“Your portfolio is a bit sparse, Mr Day.”

Gerard frowned as the man got his name wrong. Worse even than that; the folder was full, it was just that the man had barely looked at it.

“It’s Way,” Gerard corrected him. “Gerard Way.”

Gerard cursed himself internally for raising the pitch of his voice at the end of the sentence, almost saying his name as if it were a question. Looking at the ignored portfolio, he raised a hand almost timidly and placed it on the folder.

“Mr Jenson, I worked very hard on this. Everything in here represents…”  
“I don’t think we’ve got anything for you, Mr Way,” Jenson pushed the portfolio towards Gerard with a finality that brooked no argument. “My secretary will see you out,” he added, pressing a button on the intercom on his desk.

“Thank you for your time,” Gerard muttered. “Perhaps you could keep my résumé…?”  
“Miss Birch,” Jenson interrupted as his secretary entered. “Could you see Mr…” he snapped his fingers a couple of times.  
“Way,” Gerard replied tiredly.  
“Could you see him out, please?”  
“Yes, Mr Jenson,” She replied politely as Gerard followed her to the door, his portfolio tucked under his arm.  
“Is he always like that?” Gerard asked the moment the door was closed behind him.  
“Like what?” Miss Birch asked; it seemed that even her tone had changed towards him.  
“Doesn’t matter,” Gerard sighed as he headed toward the door.

Handing his visitors pass to the security guard at the main reception desk, Gerard pulled his jacket close around him as he stepped out into the chilly street.

“I don’t know why you put up with that,” came a quiet voice at his side.  
“Oh, not you again!”

Gerard quickly pushed a hand into his black hair to ruffle his previous ‘interview tidy’ style and return it to something much more resembling a bad night’s sleep. The irony wasn’t lost on him – that’s exactly what the last three days had meant to him. He had worked ceaselessly for this interview and some of his best ever work had gone unnoticed, again. He wondered if he wasn’t just convincing himself of talent he didn’t possess.

Gerard was possibly the epitome of the starving artist living on coffee and cigarettes with all available money used to by paper, canvasses, pencils, pens, ink, paint and a multitude of other art supplies. Daily he cursed himself for choosing a career that was so expensive just to show people what he was capable of. Today had left him pretty much resigned to the fact that he would always spend more money on it than he would ever make. It would never be a career. The thought seeped into his mind, unbidden and unwelcome and it lowered his mood still further.

Lately it seemed that he could muster no positive thoughts – but for him. Him, the voice he kept hearing like an incessant buzzing in his ear. No one was ever there, well, certainly no one he could see anyway. It could only have been some manifestation of his own thoughts and yet, it spoke with a different voice entirely. Lately, Gerard had taken to answering him – realising that it was a wonder he hadn’t been committed to an asylum yet.

“What do you want now?” Gerard grumbled as he headed along the street, checking if he had enough money for bus fare, frowning when he realised he’d be walking home.  
“Same as always,” the voice announced, “I want you to believe in yourself.”  
“Believe in myself?” Gerard laughed. “I’ve been thrown out of every interview I’ve had for a job as a comic book artist, I only eat when Mikey buys me something. I only have somewhere to live because Ray pays the rent and I’m talking to myself! And you want me to believe in myself?”  
“You’re not talking to yourself, you’re talking to me!” the voice came back haughtily.  
“And who are you, if not me?”

Gerard shook his head as he received another deep frown from a passer-by and a woman pulled her child to one side to avoid the ‘strange man’.

“I’m your fairy godfather,” the voice replied proudly.

Gerard laughed. It was laugh or cry and he opted to laugh – now quite concerned for his sanity. Ducking into a quiet alley, to avoid the continued angry, scared or confused expressions of the general public, Gerard took a deep breath. This was weirder than normal – he’d never had a full conversation with the voice before.

“You don’t believe in me, do you?”  
“I’m talking to you aren’t I?” Gerard countered.  
“No,” the voice grumbled in reply. “You think you’re talking to yourself.”  
“Well, it’s hard to believe otherwise when I can’t see you!”  
“What do you mean you can’t see me?” the pitch of the voice rose in indignant disappointment. “I’m right here!”

Gerard turned to look, as he had on many occasions before. Always previously, he had seen nothing, but not today. Hovering roughly at nose height was a tiny man possibly three, maybe four inches in height, dressed in a black suit and a white button down shirt with a red tie. His black hair short at the sides with a longer sweep of jet black over his face coming to a curved point almost meeting his nose ring. His dark eyes lined with heavy pink eyeliner that matched his sparkling wings.

_Wings?_

“What the hell are you?” Gerard asked in disbelief as with a flutter of those tiny pink wings, the man flew to hover in front of him, finally settling on Gerard’s hand as he raised it as if encouraging a small bird to land on his finger.  
“I told you,” he beamed. “I’m your fairy godfather, but you can call me Frankie.”


	2. Do you believe in me now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank realises that it's true - humans don't believe in fairy godfathers, but he gets an opportunity to help Gerard accept him as real.

Gerard’s face blanked.

“Oh, well, I guess I had quite a good run.”

Frank’s brow creased as Gerard spoke. He had heard from the tutors about most human reactions ranging from happy to sad, confused and even angry, but this was a new one.

“What are you talking about?” he asked with the tiniest flutter of his wings.  
“I’m going crazy,” he shrugged, dropping his hand back to his side, his head jarring in surprise as he heard a small yelp.

Fluttering back up to hover in front of him, Frank folded his arms across his chest, fixing Gerard with a stern glare.

“Next time you do that, how about a bit of warning?” he scolded. “These are wings, you know, not a jet pack!”  
“Sorry,” Gerard replied, surprised at how genuinely contrite he sounded at the rebuke.  
“That’s okay.”

Frank smiled in response; he had frequently been told that the first meeting rarely went well.

“Can anyone see you?” Gerard asked. “I mean, apart from me?” he added as he noted a mischievous smirk cross the fairy’s face.  
“Of course not!” Frank laughed. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that would be for me?”  
“Dangerous?” Gerard frowned, not seeing the logic of the statement. “How?”

Frank rolled his eyes – it was as clear as the nose on his face would be if Gerard had a magnifying glass.

“Okay,” he began, “but first, can you put your hand back up, please? My wings are getting tired. Flying isn’t a problem, but hovering is draining.”  
“Oh, er… sure,” his brow creased as he realised how stupid he looked with his hand held in mid-air given that no one could see the tiny little man now settling himself in his palm.  
“Comfy,” Frank offered a broad, satisfied smile, folding down his wings and resting his head and back in the gentle curve of Gerard’s fingers. “Now, say you’re out walking in a wood, and you encountered a singing frog. What would you do?”  
“What, like some sort of warbling frog?” Gerard asked.  
“No, really singing, like belting out one of your songs.”  
“You know about my band?”  
“Of course I do!” Frank replied astonished at the question. “It’s how you don’t know about me that I’m surprised about.”

Gerard rubbed his forehead absently as he stared at the tiny figure, uncertain how to respond.

“I’ve only just met you!” he replied, a little too loudly for his own comfort. Continuing at a much more subdued volume. “How could I possibly know about you?”

Frank sighed. His supervisor had warned him about this but even so, he didn’t believe it.

*

_“Frankie,” his supervisor, Pete, had told him, “what you have to remember about humans is that they don’t believe in anything but themselves.”_

_Pete was a skilled Fairy with a century of experience in the field. He had been a fairy godfather to dozens of humans and he couldn’t recall even one who believed he was what he said he was on first meeting – some never did. Frank knew it wasn’t anything that Pete was doing wrong, many of his fellow students had experienced similar issues and all the professors had agreed. Humans were stupid, ignorant and/or arrogant._

_Frank wanted to believe differently, he really did, especially about this one. He had to admit, he’d really lucked out with this human – he was so very pretty. But he knew he couldn’t possibly be **that** lucky to get a pretty human who also happened to be the first ever to believe in fairy godfathers._

_This was his first placement and at the same time as being very nervous he was also extremely excited and desperately wanted to do all he could to look after him._

_Even his first report to Pete had raised an eyebrow from the handsome, dark-haired supervisor._

_“Frankie, was this your best idea?” he asked, fixing Frank with a meaningful stare._  
_“I think it’s up there,” Frank replied, deliberately ignoring the sarcasm behind the question._  
_“I think you’re right, but for the wrong reasons,” Pete replied, shaking his head. “His band has only been up and running for three months and already you’ve arranged for the best local guitarist to be available to join him and you have them some recording interest?”_  
_“But you said look after him.” Frank replied innocently – Pete wasn’t entirely convinced he was genuinely that naïve._  
_“Frankie, you know very well that ‘look after him’ means to keep him out of trouble and stop him being killed. It does not mean lavish him with stardust!”_  
_“But, Pete,” Frank turned suddenly very serious, “Gerard… he’s special. I can feel it. Doing this is exactly what will keep him alive and probably a lot of other people too.”_

_Pete frowned with curiosity and tilted his head; what had Frank seen that others hadn’t? They had seen a somewhat down on his luck art school graduate, but Frank clearly had a different view. Frank had been, by far, the brightest student the College of Fairy Education had had in a very long time – even more so than Pete himself. It had been how Frank had earned his pink wings. All the other students’ wings were a pale blue-green in colour, but Frank had outshone them all and, as such, had earned the highest accolade to be the proud bearer of pink wings. All his professors expected him to graduate with a set of gold wings as Pete himself had and, as such, Pete was more than happy to offer a little latitude when it came to his assessments._

_“What makes him special, Frankie?” Pete asked, his curiosity growing._  
_“His dreams are bigger than even his imagination,” Frank’s eyes positively glowed with enthusiasm and appreciation. “In all of our case studies, I’ve never seen anyone with dreams this big. He can save lives just by being himself, if he’s given the chance.”_  
_“What is it that you see in him that shows you that?” Pete pressed for a more tangible response._  
_“He cares about people more even than himself and he uses art to express that. He is someone who can capture hearts and minds in equal amounts. He can make a real difference.”_  
_“Then, Frankie, why does he need your help?” Pete asked the obvious question._  
_“Because he doesn’t believe it,” Frank replied, his tone displaying the sadness he felt at the thought of such a life going to waste if his dreams were not realised. “He needs to believe in it. In himself.”_

_Pete nodded, prepared to accept Frank’s assessment._

_“Then, I think it’s time you met each other.”_

*

That had been a few days earlier but today had been the most appropriate opportunity so far.

“Never mind, we’re getting off the point.” Frank rolled his eyes – Humans! “What would you do about this singing frog?”

Gerard gave it some thought, before offering a smirk and a shrug.

“Probably take it home and make a fortune off it.”  
“And a three and half inch devilishly handsome man with pink wings?” he winked.  
“I… oh, I see,” Gerard conceded. “I take your point, yes, it’d be dangerous for you. You’re not modest, are you?”  
“Oh, Gerard,” Frank laughed and offered another mischievous smirk as he crossed one leg over the other and placed his hands behind his head, still lying comfortably in Gerard’s palm, “I think you’ll find I am.”

It was suddenly as if the light into the alleyway had been blocked out as three tall and broad young men stood at the entrance staring menacingly at the shorter man, still holding his hand out and apparently talking to it.

“Hey, freak show!” one of them shouted. “Who are you talking to?”

Gerard gulped as he looked up. Unnoticed even by Gerard, the only one of the four who could see him, Frank sat up and held onto Gerard’s thumb for balance as he weighed up the three men. Unfolding his wings, he fluttered up so Gerard had both hands free.

“Uh, no one,” he managed, trying hard not to sound scared. “I’m an actor, I’m practising lines.”  
“That’s good, Gerard!” Frank replied encouragingly.  
“We don’t care,” the first man spoke again. “We still think we need to show you how to behave in public.”  
“I’m not doing anything!” Gerard replied, a strange combination of angry and scared.

The three men exchanged glances; laughing amongst each other as if to suggest that nothing Gerard said would matter in the slightest. What was going to happen was going to happen.

Gerard took a step back as the three men moved forward. He could fight; you didn’t grow up in Jersey without learning a move or two, but this was a grossly unfair fight. There were three of them, they were taller, broader and stronger, plus they had him trapped in a thin alley. If he got out of this intact or even at all, he would consider himself very lucky.

“Gerard!” Frank flew close to his ear. “Use me! Ask for help, I can do this!”

Ignoring the tiny fairy, still not at all convinced he was real, Gerard raised his hands defensively as the men started to crowd around him, forcing him back towards the wall.

“Gerard!” Frank insisted, fluttering in front of his charge’s face. “Ask for help!”

The first man’s fist flew forward suddenly, colliding with Gerard’s jaw, sending him back toward the wall, sprawling against it, dazed.

“Gerard!” Frank cried in exasperation. “Don’t make me use a freebie! They are rules and I…”

Frank was interrupted as two of the men held Gerard’s arms as the first used his abdomen as a punching bag. Gerard was still dazed and Frank couldn’t be certain if he was even coherent.

“Okay, a freebie it is!” Frank growled angrily.

The first man swung a hefty blow toward Gerard’s face, but at the last second, somehow either the men moved or the arm changed direction, as it collided against the jaw of one of the men holding Gerard’s arms.

“What the fuck!” the man screamed, holding his jaw in disbelief.  
“How did you do that?” the man leaned in and screamed at Gerard, who wasn’t at all sure what had even happened, let alone the cause of it.

Swinging another blow, the man’s eyes opened as wide as saucers as he landed a punch to the man’s nose on the opposite side to Gerard. Within moments, the man’s nose was bleeding profusely and he found himself shoving his attacker vehemently. Causing a couple more indirect blows and insults, Frank was delighted to reduce the three men to a brawl on the ground, punching, kicking and screaming – but at each other.

Flying once again to Gerard’s hand, Frank tugged on one of his fingers.

“Come on!” he cried. “I can’t keep them occupied forever!”

Sliding swiftly past the brawling men, Gerard chose to run from the alley to seek refuge.

“Here’s the bus,” Frank announced. “Come on.”  
“I don’t have enough for bus fare,” Gerard replied miserably.  
“Yes, you do,” Frank insisted. “There’s five bucks in your jacket pocket that you forgot about.”

Reaching into his pocket, Gerard’s fingers closed on the slightly crumpled note before pulling it out and flagging down the bus. As he paid and sat down, he noticed the men emerge from the alley bloodied and staggering in his direction, but the bus was already moving away.

“I hadn’t forgotten about that note, had I?”

Gerard stared at Frank as he fluttered back and forth in front of his head; he seemed pleased with himself.

“I don’t know what you mean,” he grinned. “But I’m glad you believe in me now. It’ll make this so much easier.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, so a bit more detail in the second chapter. How about Gerard for a first client, eh? Sweet! Actually, I don't know who's luckier Gerard or Frank!! :D
> 
> Anyway, it'd be lovely to know if you're enjoying this, so do leave a comment or something. It'd be great to hear from you!
> 
> Take care  
> Sas xx


	3. Trust Me!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frankie convinces Gerard that he knows what's best for him

Settling near the back of the bus, away from most of the passengers, Gerard stared at the tiny fairy, now resting on the back of the seat in front of him.

“Why do I have a fairy godfather?” Gerard whispered.  
“Why are you whispering?” Frank replied quietly in return, even though he had no need to. “Have you even noticed that if someone whispers, the reply will always be a whisper too, even when no one knows why?” 

Gerard shook his head; this guy was far too upbeat.

“I’m whispering so I don’t get locked up in an institution for talking to myself!”  
“Well, get your phone out,” Frank suggested – a well-used strategy for engaging with humans: Fairy 101. “Pretend you’re talking to someone else.”  
“Yeah, I’m going to ask someone on the phone why I have a fairy godfather!” Gerard hissed with a frown.  
“Wow, you’re really grumpy for someone who just hit the preternatural jackpot.”  
“The what?” 

Gerard heaved a heavy sigh. He’d had the surprise of his life, followed by the belief that he was losing his mind, topped off with a beating. All that and still no job. He just wanted to sleep.

“You have a fairy godfather!” Frank stated with his arms outstretched, as if the comment explained everything. “Don’t you understand what that means?”

Gerard lowered his head until his nose almost touched Frank’s chest.

“No.” He replied flatly before sitting back up. 

Looking around, he noticed people were starting to cast furtive glances and muffled chuckles in his direction. Sighing he got his phone out and pretended to dial.

“Hi,” he began. “What’s going on?” he added, looking meaningfully at the fairy.

Frank shrugged and looked away with a slight mischievous smirk on his face.

“Frankie, this was your idea, talk to me!”

The fairy looked up at Gerard, at first giving nothing away, but guilt began to take over as he saw his charge’s shoulders sag and the bleak, tired expression wash over him once more. Fluttering his wings, Frank showered Gerard in glistening sparkles of light the effect of which was to draw a smile to the man’s face, as a warm, peaceful glow seemed to settle over him.

“I’m sorry, Gerard,” Frank replied. “I shouldn’t tease you, you’re special.”  
“What?” Gerard’s eyes opened wide.  
Frank frowned. “Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have mentioned that. I don’t want to freak you out.”

It was Frank’s turn to be shocked as Gerard threw his head back, laughing loudly; drawing glares and sounds of disapproval from the few remaining passengers on the bus. Gerard didn’t care, it was the first time he’d laughed in… he wasn’t sure how long. He was going to enjoy it, no, he was going to revel in it!

“What?” Frank pouted, looking almost hurt. “What did I say? Gerard?”

Fluttering up to hover in front of Gerard’s face, Frank balled up a fist and knocked twice on the bridge of his nose.

“Hey!” 

Still smiling, Gerard began to bring his laughter under control and took a deep calming breath.

“Sorry,” he chuckled, “but you do know that you’ve done very little but freak me out, don’t you?”  
“No,” Frank frowned. In fact, he looked a little hurt. 

Gerard stopped laughing completely and stared guiltily at Frank.

“This must happen all the time,” Gerard tried to justify his reaction, growing more uncomfortable with each second.  
“You’re my first client,” Frank mumbled, looking down, distractedly examining his fingers.  
“Excuse me?” Gerard asked, surprised at the words.   
“I’m still in training,” Frank admitted looking up. “I’m in placement. My supervisor told me not to tell you, but, I think it’s better you know.”  
“Why did he tell you not to tell me?” Gerard had moved from disbelief, firmly into fascinated.   
“It’s not just me,” Frank shrugged. “He said humans are skittish and we shouldn’t say we’re not qualified yet so we don’t frighten them.”

Frank was once again hovering in mid-air, twisting his foot as if putting out a cigarette, his hands behind his back and his head hung low. He looked awkward, embarrassed and somehow as if he had failed. Gerard swallowed hard; even though it was entirely unintentional, he felt that he had somehow caused this.

“Can we start over?” he finally asked quietly.

Frank looked up, a smile appearing on his boyishly handsome face. His pink wings suddenly sparkled at the words.

“You’d do that?” he asked, biting his lip with uncertainty.  
“Well, you did say I was special,” Gerard beamed a dazzling smile at the trainee fairy godfather.  
“Indeed you are! And I’m going to show you how much!” Frank kicked his heels and fluttered upwards. Briefly glancing out of the window, he nodded cheerfully. “Come on, this is your stop!”

Gerard’s brow creased and he followed the fairy’s line of sight – he lived nowhere near this part of town.

“What? No… I… this…”  
“Come on!” Frank waved at him urgently. “You’re going to miss it!”

Scrambling to gather his belongings, Gerard glanced back at the seat to make sure he had everything. The main thing, of course, was his portfolio but he had not let that out of his sight for a moment – he was always terrified of leaving it behind somewhere. He had never done it before, never even come close, but neither did he ever intend to. Certain that he had everything, Gerard headed to the door and waited for three others to get off first before following them out. The glistening of pink sparkles just slightly out of his eye line told him that Frankie had successfully followed.

They had left the bus in a largely residential district, but the area was dominated by a large park. It was a lovely place, with green lawns, trees, flowers, a lake, even a couple of bridges. Yes, the park was beautiful but also dangerous and Gerard was acutely aware of the failing light and the dropping temperature.

“Now what?” he asked.   
“This is where it’s going to happen?”  
“Where what’s going to happen?” Gerard asked, more confused than ever.  
“Follow me!” 

Gerard rolled his eyes; it was impossible to be annoyed with Frankie. He was mischievous and fun, overexcited and determined. Gerard smiled – some of the things he would like to be.

“Oh, Gerard! You are! Don’t you understand?” Frank flew up to hover in front of Gerard’s face, causing him to pull up sharply to avoid colliding with him.  
“I am what?” he asked. “I didn’t say anything.”  
“No, but you thought it,” Frank explained, shaking his head exasperated.   
“Hey!” he pouted, thankful that there were very few people around. “They’re private!”  
“Well, don’t think so loud then!” Frank retorted. “It’s not my fault I can hear you.”

Frank flew up to the gates of the park and urgently beckoned to Gerard.

“I’m not going in there!” Gerard laughed. “I may be a bit down, but I still value my life!”  
“I’ll be with you,” Frank reassured him, although it did little to settle Gerard’s concerns.  
“Look, I’m sure you’ll make a great fairy godfather,” Gerard sighed sadly, “but I’m tired, cold and hungry. I just want to go home and get some sleep.”  
“I’m trying to help you!” Frank whined as Gerard turned away from the park.   
“I didn’t ask for your help!” he snapped back, immediately wishing he hadn’t sounded quite so harsh.  
“Well, I’m sorry, but you did! Two weeks ago.” Frank folded his arms across his chest once more and scowled. “I mean, seriously, none of the other fairies have had so much trouble convincing their clients.”

Frank flew to a bench just inside the park gates and settled on the arm, resting his elbows on his knees and cupping his face in his hands. Heaving a sigh, he didn’t even watch to see if Gerard followed him or left. 

Gerard didn’t move his eyes from his tiny form. There was something highly likeable about the fairy. He could already tell that he was passionate about his work, he was enthusiastic, upbeat but unfortunately, right now, he seemed sad. Gerard was overtaken by guilt. He couldn’t help but feel responsible. He hadn’t intended to upset him. Exhaling deeply, Gerard followed the tiny fairy into the park. 

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.  
“This job’s more difficult than I expected,” Frank sighed.  
“I’m sure you’ll make a great fairy godfather,” Gerard offered, uncertain what else to say.

Frank lifted his eyes first then his head. Sitting upright once more and resting his hands in his lap, he cocked his head to one side.

“I am a great fairy godfather!” he grumbled. “It’s you that’s difficult!”  
“Thanks!” Gerard smirked, taking a seat on the bench. “Okay, I’m in here now, against my better judgement. You know they found two bodies in that lake, don’t you?”  
“Well, they didn’t look very hard,” Frank shrugged. “There are two more, you know.”  
“Not feeling better about being in the park, Frankie.”  
“Hmm, sorry,” Frank looked up. “Okay, this time, if… er… anything happens, you have to ask me for help. I can do the occasional freebie, but there are rules and… well, I’ll just say I can’t break this one.”  
“Why? What happens if you do?” Gerard asked with interest.  
“Let’s just say I’d be looking for a new career,” Frank nodded to emphasise how serious he was.  
“Harsh!” Gerard shook his head. “So, what do I get three wishes or something?”

Frank chuckled, taking to the air once again and allowing himself some playful aerobatics.

“How many terrible books have you been reading?” he laughed, holding himself upside down briefly. “I’m not a genie! And you should be glad about that, you know. They’re really not that nice; always trying to outdo each other whether it’s what you need or not.”  
“Okay so, what happens?”  
“Well!” Frank began excitedly. “If you’re in danger, you can ask me for help as much as you need and…”  
“Why am I going to be in danger?” Gerard’s expression became uncertain and he pulled back slightly.  
“No reason,” Frank beamed, waving a hand dismissively. “Just a precaution.”

Gerard remained unconvinced.

“Otherwise,” Frank continued undeterred, “one wish.”  
“Oh!” Gerard smiled.  
“But I get to choose it,” Frank interrupted his thoughts.  
“You?” Gerard’s mouth hung open slightly in surprise “Why you?”  
“Who else?”  
“Er… me?”  
“What? In your state of mind? You’d probably just wish for a sandwich!” Frank raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by even the suggestion.  
“Well, what’s your big idea then?”  
“I’m going to merge you with your shadow.”  
“Oh well, thank goodness this is your choice!” Gerard scowled. “That idea nearly slipped right by me!”  
“Do I detect sarcasm?” Frank raised an eyebrow. “Trust me.”

Gerard shook his head lightly. Something had to happen in his life. He had convinced himself, almost, that he was okay, but he knew he wasn’t. Maybe his fairy godfather would make the change he so desperately needed. Frankie was certainly odd, with an even stranger idea to match, but what did he have to lose?

“Okay,” Gerard finally conceded. “But don’t make me regret this.”  
“Trust me!”


	4. Oops!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank tries to merge Gerard with his shadow, but his shadow is much stronger than he thought

“Okay,” Gerard took a deep breath. “I trust you. So what’s all this merging with my shadow thing all about?”  
“Well, your shadow is supposed to be for all your darkest thoughts, your depression, anger, hatred, envy, you know, all the negative stuff. That’s why it’s so dark. Have you never wondered why a shadow is dark? Or how sometimes some shadows seem lighter than others, or sometimes you have two shadows?”  
“Umm, no, not really,” Gerard replied, but now he was. “I just thought it was because the light wasn’t hitting the ground.”

Frank frowned; why did humans always think that? He had read about this in his case studies at college and he had found it hard to believe that they were genuine, but here was his very first human and he was saying exactly that.

“I have to ask,” Frank began. “Do all humans think that?”  
“Yeah,” Gerard replied, as if the idea was ridiculous.   
Frank grinned, surprised at the idea. “Well, cover me with sprinkles! I had no idea.”  
“Okay, so, if shadows aren’t just blocked light, how come objects have them too? Like buildings, or… this bench?”

Frank stared at Gerard with a deeply puzzled expression.

“I just told you,” he replied, wondering if he needed to explain it again.  
“You’re telling me this bench has feelings?”

Frank’s eyes opened wide; humans really didn’t understand these things.

“Yes,” Frank replied with a gentle smile. “Everything has feelings Gerard. Have you not heard of Sick Building Syndrome? Or haunted houses? They’re not haunted, they’re just angry.”  
“Angry houses?”

Frank took a deep breath; did this really need to be explained?

“Do you question everything?” Frank asked with a sigh.  
“Of course, I do, don’t you?” Gerard retorted.  
“I don’t question facts,” Frank fluttered up to his face and tapped his nose and chuckled. “These are as plain as this! Okay, look at your shadow, Gerard, don’t you see that it’s much lighter than the bench’s shadow?”

Gerard looked down and raised his eyebrows as he noticed for the first time that his shadow was much lighter than the shadows around him.

“Oh.” 

Gerard looked up at the tiny fairy, it was as if he was finally ready to believe him. Frank grinned widely and clapped his hands in excitement. He knew that things had just reached a turning point. But now was not the time to be interrupted.

“Hey!” A voice called in a low gravelly tone. 

Frank turned and sighed in frustration as a gang of four young men headed through the park gates as dusk fell. Really? Was he ever going to get anything done?

“You’re in the wrong place,” the lead man sneered at Gerard.  
“Do you have a death wish?” Said another.  
“Because we can oblige,” laughed another.  
Gerard looked up as the lead man drew a knife from a pocket and brandished it menacingly.  
“Well?” The man added with a smirk. “You can try to run if you like. We’ll give you a chance…maybe.”  
“I told you this park was dangerous!” Gerard stared at the fairy, trying to keep his voice low, but the men were already too close.  
“Who are you talking to, fairy?”

Gerard rolled his eyes at the irony.

“Frankie,” Gerard whispered. “Can you help me, please?”  
“Thought you’d never ask!” Frank clapped again, gleefully.   
“Talking to your invisible friend?” The man laughed. “Do you think we’ll leave you alone if you act crazy?”

Frank turned with a stern glare towards the men who were now approaching Gerard, each with a knife in their hand. Gerard stared in awe as Frank grew in size astonishingly quickly. In moments, he was well over eight or nine feet tall, horns protruding from his head, his wings red and flaming at the edges.

The men stopped dead in their tracks as suddenly the now giant fairy appeared to them as if a devil. Releasing a deep growl that lifted in pitch until it became a screech, Frank flapped his wings forward releasing a torrent of sparks and flame. 

Staggering backwards and practically falling over each other in their hurry to retreat from the park, the four men raced out, their terrified screams fading into the distance.

Shrinking back to his normal three and a half inch height, Frank flew a series of loop the loops as he headed back to where Gerard remained seated, open mouthed.

“You liked that?” Frank grinned as he noted the excitement in Gerard’s eyes.  
“That was awesome!” Gerard cried in amazement. “I want to draw you!”

Frank bowed gracefully in appreciation of the comment but as he rose again, he pointed to Gerard's shadow.

“Look, Gerard, your shadow darkened slightly.”

Gerard looked at the shadow. Admittedly it was a little darker, but it only occurred to him now that he didn’t understand the significance of the change. What did the different shades mean?

“I’ll explain,” Frank promised.  
“Can you please stop doing that?” Gerard frowned.  
“What?” Frank asked, taken aback by the sudden change in Gerard’s mood. He sighed as he noted that his shadow lightened again.   
“Listening to my thoughts, I don’t like it.”  
“I’m not doing it on purpose, Gerard,” Frank appeared sad once more. “You talk quiet and think loud. Sometimes it’s hard for me to work out which is which, especially when I get excited.”

Gerard laughed and shook his head lightly.

“Are you ever not excited?” He smiled in reply.  
“Hardly ever,” the fairy tumbled in the air, flapping his wings and showering the bench and Gerard in pink sparkles. “You’ll be excited soon too! I promise.”

Gerard watched the glistening pink sparkles fall around him and found himself smiling without even realising it.

“What is that?” He asked as a gentle feeling of a happy calm settled over him.  
“Fairy dust,” Frank replied with an element of surprise in his voice. “You must have heard of that before?”  
“Yeah, I guess. I mean I've heard of fairies too, but I never dreamed that they were real.”  
“I’m glad you know now,” Frank spoke with deep sincerity in his voice. “You deserve to be happy, Gerard. Like I said before, and I hope I don’t freak you out this time, you’re special.”  
“How? I don’t feel special,” Gerard lowered his eyes.  
“I know,” Frank replied sadly. “It breaks my heart to tell you the truth but you really have such potential, Gerard. People will look to you, you have so much to give.”  
“I have nothing to give,” Gerard sighed. “Nothing anyone wants, anyway.”

Frank looked down and frowned as Gerard's shadow paled still further. He had to get to work before it faded to nothing.

“Your shadow, Gerard, let me tell you about it.”  
“Okay,” Gerard’s tone picked up somewhat as he prepared to listen to Frank’s explanation.  
“Right, everyone has a mixture of good and bad, happy and sad, excitement and depression and so on. The more negative things belong to the shadow side. There’s usually a reasonable flow of emotions between you and your shadow so you get a mixture, usually a fairly controlled mixture, of emotions over a period of time. Highs, lows and lots in between. The problem is, sometimes, the shadow gets greedy and wants to be in control especially with talented people. You really are very talented, Gerard and unfortunately you have a very greedy shadow. It’s sucking the life from you, taking all your happiness, excitement and belief in yourself. It’s leaving you with all the negative qualities it doesn’t want, like depression and low self-esteem. The reason you can’t get a job isn’t because your art isn’t good enough, in fact it’s exceptional. But your shadow has taken everything that would make people believe in you. You’re practically invisible to some people.”  
“Yeah, I've noticed that,” Gerard rolled his eyes. “What has the darkness of it got to do with anything?”  
“Ah! That’s a good question. When the shadow is mostly made up of negative qualities it gets darker. When it takes the positive ones, it gets lighter and you get darker.”  
“And my shadow is really light,” Gerard observed.  
“Well, I’m here to change that.” Frank said confidently. “I’m going to help address the balance and get your greedy shadow back under control. Your shadow should be black as night,” he almost sounded angry now. “I’ve kind of gone out on a limb with you, Gerard. I believe in you so much and I know that right now you don’t, but I have more than enough belief for both of us.”  
“I’ve noticed that too,” Gerard smiled. “You really think I’m special?”  
“Oh, Gerard,” Frank shook his head. “Special is such an understatement, you have no idea. But you will, I promise. I can’t believe how lucky I was to get you as my first client!”  
“You said that I asked for help two weeks ago?”  
“That’s right,” Frank nodded. “Don’t you remember?”

Gerard shook his head; he had no idea what ‘asking for help’ would constitute where a fairy godfather was concerned. As he thought the idea, Frank’s heart sank. 

“You had just had a call from the last interview telling you the bad news - they will regret it by the way - and you said…”  
“Who do I have to sleep with to get a job in this town?”  
Frank laughed. “Well, yes, you did say that, but you also said, ‘I’m better than this, why can’t anyone see it?’”  
“That’s not really asking for help,” Gerard looked down, almost feeling as if Frank had felt sorry for him.  
“You’re wrong, Gerard,” Frank placed his tiny hand on Gerard’s. “I told you, I'm not a genie. I didn’t turn up because you got granted wishes. I'm here because you need help seeing who you really are and making others see it too. Deep down, you know it. The only reason you can’t see it is because of your shadow.”  
“So, what happens now?” Gerard asked, still unconvinced by Frank’s insistence that he was special.  
“You and your shadow have partially separated,” he began to explain. “It is still attached, but is only using that attachment to siphon off your life force. It truly is very greedy. To be honest, if I could set you up with a new shadow, I would. This one’s always going to be trouble.”  
“Always?” Gerard frowned.  
“I’m afraid so,” Frank shrugged. “But I’ll always be around too,” he grinned. “You got me as your fairy godfather now. You don’t get rid of me that easily, you know!”

Gerard couldn’t help but laugh at Frank’s exuberance and irrepressible cheerfulness.

“Okay, so will this hurt?” Gerard asked, pulling his jacket closer around him as the night air nipped at his arms.  
“Not even a little bit,” Frank replied confidently as he flew to Gerard’s shadow and placed a hand on the point at which Gerard’s heart would be. “I just need to…”

Frank’s eyes flew open in surprise as the shadow seemed to rise several inches from the floor. A great wave of energy seemed to suddenly flow through the shadow and for a moment it expanded until it was almost shapeless. In that moment, both Frank and Gerard were thrown backwards. Gerard toppled over the back of the bench and Frank was knocked sideways against a tree. 

Standing and regaining his composure, Gerard watched open mouthed as his shadow rose from the ground, flexing its arms and rolling its head as if waking from a long sleep and needing to stretch its limbs.

“Frankie!” Gerard cried as he saw the tiny fairy lying in the grass unmoving. 

The shadow was gaining features now, taking Gerard’s form and looking every inch the confident, even cocky, man that was the exact opposite of how he truly felt.

“Your stupid fairy friend didn’t know what he was dealing with,” the shadow finally spoke, laughing as he saw the unconscious fairy. “I’m much stronger than you and him! He overlooked one major detail - I've been trying to break free of you for years. You’re weak, Gerard. Pathetic, in fact. Now I think it’s time for a change; I think it’s time for you to be the shadow! It’s only a matter of time, Gerard, you can’t stop me and neither can he.”

Dropping to Frank’s side, Gerard used one finger, shaking him to try to wake him but received no response.

“Wait!” Gerard cried as the shadow started to walk away. “Where are you going?”  
“To live your life, of course!” It laughed mockingly. “You’re not using it!”

Gerard stared anxiously, not knowing quite what to do, as the shadow walked away. 

“Frankie?” He gave him another gentle shake. “Please be okay.”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! I hope you're enjoying this. This is where everything really kicks off. What will Gerard's shadow get up to and what will happen to Gerard and Frank?  
> If you're feeling like it, please leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you.
> 
> Thanks for reading,  
> Sas xo


	5. Convincing Ray

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ray is really trying hard not to believe that Gerard is crazy. Can he be convinced?

Gerard ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He had no idea what to do. It was ten minutes now since his shadow had walked away leaving him alone in the park. Well, not quite alone, of course, Frankie was there but still lying in the grass, unconscious. He was growing ever more nervous as night fell, and he was sitting in a park in an area of town that he wouldn’t feel safe in even in broad daylight. With no money, no shadow and an unconscious fairy on his hands, he needed help fast. Digging into his pocket, he called Ray.

“Hi, Gee!” Came the sound of Ray’s cheery voice. “How was the interview? You’ve been gone a while, hope that means it’s good news!”

There was something about Ray that always made him feel reassured. He didn’t panic, he rarely got angry and he had such a sunny disposition, Gerard was frequently in awe of him. Ray was one of those people who could lift your spirits just by standing next to you. It was as if his happiness was both unlimited and contagious. It wasn’t that Ray was never sad, but when he was, it was positively heartbreaking because it was such a contrast to his usual self. To see Ray sad was the human equivalent of seeing someone kick puppies - it made you want to stop it immediately and make things right. The exact same way he would always do his best for others. Ray was a gentle, kind, good natured man and Gerard knew he was lucky to know him. Ray would know what to do.

“Ray,” Gerard began in a hurry, ignoring his question. “I need your help.”

Gerard's tone was urgent and even the slight tremor in his voice didn’t go unnoticed by Ray. He found himself frowning and already snatching up his keys.

“Where are you? What’s wrong?” He asked hurriedly.  
“West Hudson Park,” Gerard replied quietly, as he saw two men dressed entirely in black walk into view and head down one of the wide paths toward the lake.  
“What the hell are you doing there?” Ray almost shouted. Gerard knew it was dangerous and the thought crossed Ray’s mind that he hadn’t gone by choice.  
“Are you okay, Gee? Are you hurt?”  
“It's a long story,” Gerard sighed. “Can you pick me up? I'm near the entrance on Dukes Street.”  
“Are you safe?” Ray asked, still very concerned.  
“Um, so far, kinda,” Gerard responded, not sure what else to say.  
“I’ll be there in five. Stay safe. I’ll call when I get there,” he continued as he headed for the door. “You don’t have to answer, just come straight to the car and we’ll get the hell out of there.”  
“Thanks, Ray,” Gerard sighed with relief.

At the same time Ray released an exasperated sigh; he desperately hoped Gerard was okay, but if he was, he would have some serious questions to answer.

Slipping off his jacket, despite the bitter evening chill, Gerard folded and rested it on the grass and gently lifted Frank into the centre. Covering his body with a sleeve, he looked down silently, shivering lightly and hoping no one would find him as he hid behind the tree. Silently, he willed Frank to wake up, but yet at the same time, he was concerned that he might wake and start drawing attention to them. The thought had no sooner drifted through his mind than he was chastising himself for forgetting that no one else could see him. Definitely fewer than five minutes after he had put his phone back in his pocket, he felt it vibrate once more. Just to be sure, he plucked the phone from his pocket and checked. Yes, it was definitely Ray. The last thing he needed was to come out of his hiding place and find that Mikey had called and the safety of Ray’s car was nowhere in sight.

Gently picking up his jacket, Gerard ran for the entrance and seeing Ray’s car, bundled in, still cradling his jacket carefully in his arms.

“What’s that?”

Ray asked as he pulled away, relieved to see Gerard looking relatively unhurt, although he could now see a patch of blood-matted hair on the back of his head.

“Someone hit you, Gee?” He asked, reaching for Gerard's head.  
“What?” Gerard asked pulling away, seemingly unaware of his blood-matted clump of hair.  
“You’ve got a cut on the back of your head,” Ray explained, surprised at his friend’s lack of awareness. “And what’s with your jacket? You’re carrying it like it’s got something precious in it.”  
“It’s Frankie, he’s hurt,” Gerard replied, forgetting once more that Ray wouldn’t be able to see him.  
“Frankie?” Ray asked with a concerned tone. “What, you picked up a frog or something?”

Gerard stared momentarily at Ray with an expression of confusion until he realised that, of course, Ray couldn’t see him. This was going to be much harder to explain than he had thought possible.

“Can I explain when we get home?” He asked.  
“Sure,” Ray replied with a shrug.

There was tiredness, insecurity and what sounded like either concern or fear in Gerard's tone which translated itself to Ray. Whatever was wrong with Gerard, it sounded serious. Had he witnessed something terrible? Had he received a blow to the head? Was he delirious? Who or what was Frankie? Ray pondered the possibility that he would shortly need to take Gerard to the hospital to get his head wound examined. It was, of course, possible - more than possible - that he was suffering from concussion. It would certainly explain his bizarre behaviour. Ray just wanted to get home, make some coffee and hear him out.

*

Relieved to finally be home, Gerard took a seat on the couch, his jacket nestling carefully in his lap. Ray had gone into the kitchen to make some coffee. Switching on and filling the coffee maker, Ray left it to create a pot of the dark nectar they both truly needed. Fetching a clean towel from the cupboard, Ray ran it under the faucet soaking it in tepid water before wringing it out.

“Here, let me look at the back of your head.”

Ray approached the still nervous Gerard. He was concerned, Gerard was rarely lively and upbeat these days, but he seems particularly introverted and worried this evening. He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened in the park and even what he was doing there in the first place. He would have to have got off the bus several stops before he needed to to get home.

“I’m okay,” Gerard mumbled, still staring at his jacket.  
“Gee!” Ray cried, exasperated. “'What happened?”

Gerard looked up, a definite air of guilt and concern hung over him. Ray's expression softened as he looked at him - something had shaken him, but what?

“Turn around, I want to check your head,” he repeated gently.  
“I’m okay, Ray, honestly.”  
“At least let me clean it up,” he waved the towel. “Get the blood off.”  
“Blood?”

Despite Ray mentioning it earlier, it was as if Gerard had only just taken in the fact. Reaching up, he gingerly pressed his fingers to the now crusting blood caked to his hair. His face creased as it felt tender to the touch.

“Okay,” Gerard nodded. “I didn’t realise, sorry.”  
“That’s okay, Gee,” Ray sighed sympathetically. “Are you going to tell me what happened?”

Gerard shifted on the couch so that Ray could easily reach his head, and cringed at the stinging of the towel pressing against the cut.

“How is it?” He asked quietly.  
“It looked worse than it is, Gee, don’t worry,” Ray replied reassuringly. “It’s stopped bleeding anyway.”  
“I’m sorry, Ray,” Gerard sighed.  
“What for?” Ray asked as he folded the towel and placed it on the floor.

Gerard shifted back around so he could face Ray, who was staring at him expectantly.

“This is going to be hard to explain and even harder for you to believe.”  
“Try me,” Ray smiled. “I’ll get the coffee first, it should be ready by now.”

Gerard looked down at the fairy still nestled in the folds of his jacket. He looked so peaceful, so still and calm with his wings folded down. For the first time, he noticed that whilst his wings were still pink, the sparkle had faded. Gently moving the hair out of the fairy's eyes, Gerard stared hard looking for signs that he was okay, relieved when he saw his abdomen rise and fall.  
Ray stared with concern as he spotted Gerard staring at his jacket once more; what was bothering him?

“Here,” Ray placed the mug on the side table next to the couch for Gerard and took a seat next to him with a sigh. “Now, what happened?”  
“Well,” Gerard began nervously. “I’ve been hearing a voice lately.”  
“Hearing voices?” Ray replied, concerned.  
“Not voices,” Gerard corrected. “Just one voice.”  
“Okay,” Ray nodded. “And do you recognise the voice?”  
“Well no, not at first, but then I couldn't see him straight away and then today, after my interview, I finally saw him. This is the bit you're going to have difficulty with.”

Ray raised his eyebrows; hearing a voice wasn't the part he was going to have difficulty with?

“Go on,” Ray encouraged, realising by now that it was best to get the whole story without comment.  
“Well,” Gerard licked his lips. “He turns out to be my fairy godfather.”

Gerard paused waiting for a reply, it seemed unnatural that Ray wouldn’t have some sort of comment to make on that statement. He waited a few moments before looking up with an inquisitive expression.

“You want me to comment on that?” Ray asked in a surprisingly non-judgmental tone.  
“Well, even if you think I’m crazy, I figured you might have something to say about that.”  
Ray smiled. “I don’t think you’re crazy, Gerard.”  
“You don’t believe me though, do you?”  
“Tell me the rest,” he suggested taking a sip of coffee. “I’m sure I’ll understand more then.”

Gerard frowned; Ray was humouring him, but at least he wasn’t calling the local psych ward.

“He told me that he wanted to help me, that my shadow was taking all my confidence. But when he tried, my shadow got away and attacked us both. I hurt my head,” he pointed as if to explain, “but Frankie was knocked out,” he added, indicating his jacket.  
“So, Frankie’s in your jacket?” Ray asked tentatively.  
“He’s, ah, he’s very small.”

Gerard sighed, even he realised how crazy it sounded.

“If it’s any consolation,” he added, “I thought I was crazy at first too.”

Gerard and Ray looked at each other for a few moments. Ray’s brow furrowed slightly and Gerard rubbed his eye.

“It doesn't help at all, does it?”  
“I can't see him you know, Gee?”  
“No, I know that,” he shrugged. “Only I can see him. It would be dangerous for him otherwise.”  
“Okay, so what’s he doing?” Ray asked, trying hard to be supportive.  
“He’s still unconscious,” Gerard explained with a worried frown.  
“How long has he been like that?”  
“Since just before I called you,” Gerard replied, taking a sip of coffee. “Thanks, Ray, this is perfect.”  
Ray nodded as he looked at his watch. “So, not all that long then?”  
“No,” Gerard agreed, now looking slightly more relaxed. “I guess it’s not been that long.”  
“So, your shadow attacked you both?”  
“I know what it sounds like, Ray,” Gerard frowned, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

Gerard was about to continue, to protest his sanity, when a small sigh and a sudden sparkle of pink light drew his attention back to his jacket. Inside the hollow he had created, Frank was coming to; lifting a hand to his head, the small fairy grimaced as he felt the painful bump on his temple. Pushing himself up into a sitting position, Frank looked around at the folded cloth, before looking up to see Gerard’s smiling face looking down at him.

“Gerard!” Frank called happily, now beginning to recover enough to stand and unfold his wings. “You’re all right! Where are we?”  
“At my place,” Gerard answered, almost forgetting that Ray couldn’t see the fairy. “Are you okay? I was really worried.”  
“So, he’s awake now, is he?” Ray asked, startling Frank, who turned suddenly at the new voice, before losing his balance and falling back onto the jacket.

Gerard laughed, lowering a finger for Frank to hold onto to help him up.

“This is my friend, Ray.”

Frank tapped his lips with a finger as he considered how to respond.

“You know he can’t see me, don’t you, Gerard?” The fairy asked tentatively.  
“Yeah, it’s a bit awkward,” Gerard shrugged. “I’d look an awful lot less crazy if he could see you.”  
“Well,” Frank pursed his lips, “if it’s a dangerous situation, I mean, maybe I could show myself?”  
“What do you mean?” Gerard asked, puzzled by the response.  
“Remember I said I could protect you? Well, if this was a dangerous situation…”  
“Oh, I don’t think…” Gerard interrupted only for Frank to cut in himself.  
“It would have to be dangerous to you for me to reveal myself to anyone else, you see. Like I did in the park. There are all these rules, you see,” he explained nodding meaningfully.  
“Oh, so… I see.” He nodded. “Ray, if I kept looking crazy to you, you’d probably get me locked up or something wouldn’t you?”  
“Gee, what do you think I…” Ray began, shocked by the suggestion.  
“Wouldn’t you!” Gerard kept nodding, his eyes wide and a determined expression on his face.  
“Oh,” Ray understood the response he was expected to give, but not why. “Er, yeah, for your own good,” he agreed half-heartedly.

Frank smiled; he was breaking a lot of rules, or rather not quite breaking them. He could only hope that he would get away with it, given the circumstances. He fluttered his wings, rising slowly at first as if to test them after being thrown against the tree. Everything seemed to work fine. Flying over Ray’s head, he showered him with bright pink sparkles, some landing in his hair causing to briefly appear like glitter before fading almost as quickly as it had appeared. Swooping down, he performed some playful aerobatics before lining up in front of Ray’s face, his wings still glistening.

“Hello, Ray! I'm Frankie!” He introduced himself cheerfully.

Ray’s eyes widened and he glanced from Frank to Gerard and back again.

“Hi,” he replied quietly, dumbstruck.  
“I’m Gerard’s fairy godfather,” he explained. “We’re going to need your help.”  
“Well,” he gasped. “Er… yeah. I’m… Fuck!”  
Frank beamed. “Drink your coffee, guys, you’re going to need it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! Hope you're still enjoying this. Well, that's Ray convinced. Wonder how Mikey will react? :P  
> Next chapter will look at what Gerard's shadow's up to.  
> Feel like leaving a comment? Please do, I really appreciate hearing from you!!  
> Take care and hope you're well :)
> 
> Thanks  
> Sas xx


	6. I'm Not Gay!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey gets an unexpected visit and a night out with mixed results

Mikey was comfortable, lying on his bed reading comic books. He’d always enjoyed doing that and with more and more titles and new adventures being written every day, he knew the likelihood of him ever running out were very slim. Even his own brother was a talented artist who he believed wholeheartedly would have his own work in print one day, hopefully soon. He glanced at his watch, it was late, perhaps he should call to ask how the interview had gone? He knew it was that day but was uncertain of the time. Whatever time it had been, it would definitely be over by now. As he pushed himself up, the doorbell rang - three times. Whoever it was, they were impatient and Mikey was already angry and he hadn’t even left his room yet. As he walked, almost marched, to the door, the doorbell rang another four times.

“Whoever the hell this is, he’s getting a punch in the face!” Mikey muttered angrily to himself.  
“Come on Mikeyway!” A voice he recognised called from outside the door, as he rang the bell twice more.  
“Stop ringing the fucking bell!” He shouted in return.

Reaching the door, Mikey opened it to see Gerard standing on the step grinning at him with an almost wild, overexcited look in his eyes. His finger hovered over the doorbell and as Mikey stood there staring at him, he pressed it again, adding a mischievous wink for good measure.

“You look happy,” Mikey observed. “The interview went well then?”  
“Interview?” Gerard blinked in reply. “Oh, no, terrible,” he shook his head. “He’s pathetic. He couldn’t get a job if you owned the company!”  
“He?” Mikey frowned. “Who are you talking about?”

Gerard paused for a minute as he took in the words. Of course, yes. He was not normally the one to speak. This was the first time they had been two separate entities and, as yet, Mikey was unaware. He could have some fun with this.

The man standing at the door, staring excitedly at Mikey was Gerard’s shadow come to life. Having been accidentally separated from Gerard by his Fairy Godfather, Shadow Gerard was determined to have a good time, to live the life his, for want of a better term, ‘real self’ would never have. In fact the more he thought about it, his confident, brash and even somewhat obnoxious self was far better suited to this life than the meek, pathetic nobody he had left behind. He was going to enjoy himself, and then, he grinned as he pushed the now objecting Mikey into the house, he was going to find a way to get rid of that meddling fairy and establish himself as the real Gerard, absorbing the other for his shadow. And it was all going to start here!

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Mikey snapped as he regained his balance.  
“Get ready, Mikes, we’re going out,” he instructed, closing the door behind them.  
“I don’t fancy it, Gee. I was just settled and reading Batman Gothic and I…”  
“We’re going out!” Shadow Gee insisted.  
“Where?”  
“To that new club downtown. Revolution or something.”  
“Revolver,” Mikey corrected. “What do you want to go there for?”  
“Mikeyway, go get your… whatever it is you wear to impress the ladies on and let’s go!”  
“Impress the ladies?” Mikey raised an eyebrow.  
“Alright, impress the boys then! Whatever, I'm not judging! Both, at the same time, I don’t care!”  
“That’s not what I meant,” Mikey pouted.  
“I don’t actually care, Mikey. Now get changed and let’s get out of here!”  
“But I was…”  
“Yes, you told me, you were reading,” he rolled his eyes. “Honestly, you're getting as boring as he is. Now get changed, we are going out!”  
“Who is this ‘he’ you keep talking about?” Mikey shook his head in confusion.

Shadow Gee didn’t respond, merely turning Mikey around and giving him a shove.

“Get changed!”

Mikey frowned - only minutes ago he’d been comfortable and reading a favourite comic book. Normally Gerard would not only understand that kind of thing, but he would join him and they would sometimes act out the parts together, and discuss their own ideas for the ideal comic book into the early hours of the morning. Apparently not tonight.

“Go!” Shadow Gee yelled as Mikey walked too slowly for his liking.

Mikey shook his head and headed a little faster to his room to change. Behind him he could hear the impatient sigh that he was certain he was meant to hear, but it didn’t change his pace at all. Once inside the room, he opened the wardrobe and looked inside. The irony wasn’t lost on him, had been trying to convince Gerard for a very long time to go to a club with him and he had always refused, inventing one lame excuse after another. Now here he was demanding to go out and Mikey was reluctant. He wondered why it was, but the answer didn’t seem to make sense in his head. Gerard was quite simply too keen. He had never seen his brother like this before. Yes, he'd seen him happy, he'd seen him really overexcited before, but this was different - he was almost manic and he couldn’t help but wonder, no, he couldn’t help but worry about the cause of it. Was Gerard taking cocaine? He frowned deeply at the possibility. No, he wanted to believe that instead, he had been successful in his interview and wanted to celebrate or, at worst, not successful in his interview and was overcompensating. Yeah, that was it - one of those.

“Are you just going to stand there all night?” Shadow Gee asked as he stood in the bedroom doorway.  
“No, I was just deciding,” he lied. “How did your interview go?” He continued, asking as casually as he could and trying not to give away his ulterior motive.  
“Forget the interview,” he shook his head. “They’re idiots.”

Overcompensating, Mikey thought to himself, satisfied in his own mind that it wasn't drugs.

“Come on, Mikes!” Shadow Gee complained. “Your skinnies and a black button down. It’s about the smartest thing you’ve got.”

With a shrug, Mikey plucked the items from his wardrobe - it was true. Getting changed quickly, Mikey went to push his feet into his sneakers.

“Shoes, Mikes, I wanna be able to go somewhere fancy.”  
“What’s the point if I'm wearing jeans?” He shrugged.  
“Well, put some eyeliner on, it’ll scare the straight bouncers and all the gay ones’ll love it!”

Mikey scowled at him with distaste as he sat down on the bed to lace up his shoes.

“What’s the matter with you today?”  
“Oh, come on!” Shadow Gee rolled his eyes. “Okay, that was insensitive, but I already told you, I don’t mind if you're gay.”  
“I’m not gay!” Mikey cried, exasperated. “It’s just not something…”

Mikey paused as Shadow Gee stared down at him with his hands on his hips, an impatient expression on his face. Looking back down again, Mikey let it go - he was just trying to get a rise out of him, that was all, and he’d managed it.

“Okay, okay,” he sighed standing up and dragging a comb through his hair. “I’m ready.”  
“Finally!” He cried grabbing Mikey’s wrist and pulling him.

*

Mikey had never been to this club before, but he knew it was one of the most difficult to get into. As they approached in the cab, the line that stretched almost around the block suggested to him that he wasn't going to get in tonight either. The cab drew to a smooth stop and the driver laughed.

“You like spending your evenings standing around then?”  
“Pay the man, Mikey,” Shadow Gerard snapped. “No tip,” he added gracelessly as he stepped out.

Mikey was embarrassed; he was taking this way too far. What was with him tonight? Shoving a handful of bills toward the driver, including a tip, he muttered his apologies.

“You want to tell him to watch his mouth,” the driver sniped back.  
“He’s not normally…”  
“Michael!”  
“Thanks,” he muttered to the driver as he half stepped out and was half dragged out of the cab.  
“What’s with you, tonight?” Mikey asked, but was left racing after him as Shadow Gee headed off quickly to the front of the line.

As the pair stood there they were met by murmurs of disapproval from several of the line who had been waiting for up to an hour already.

“Yeah?” One of the bouncers on the door wandered over, eyeing Shadow Gee and Mikey with disdain.  
“We have an appointment with the manager of the club,” Shadow Gee answered with a confidence and even arrogance that Mikey had never seen before.  
“Names?”  
“Gerard Way and Michael Way.”

The bouncer looked almost begrudgingly at his list for the evening and nodded.

“I’ll take you through.”

Shadow Gee looked toward the line at a group of pretty young women in revealing outfits and high heels. Offering his most charming smile which dissolved into an expression of pure lust, followed by a sexy wink, he almost preened as they stepped eagerly forward to join him.

“And the ladies?” He added looking at the bouncer as if almost apologetic for being so handsome.  
“Yeah,” the bouncer sighed.  
“Mikes,” Shadow Gee turned. “Is this okay, or do you want to ask anyone else?” He asked with a meaningful tilt of his head.  
“Gee,” Mikey hissed, embarrassed and a little frustrated. “I told you!”  
“You did, you did,” Shadow Gee nodded. “Just wanted to be sure.”

Mikey shook his head in disbelief as the bouncer indicated that they should follow him.

“Ladies,” Shadow Gee called as they were led into the club; the women flocking around him as if transfixed.

Once inside, Shadow Gee unhooked his arms from the women and smiled.

“Lovely ladies, I have a meeting with the manager. But this is my brother Mikey, he’s a bassist, big hands, nimble fingers. He’s going to look after you until I come back? Is that okay?”

Pushing his glasses up his nose, Mikey pursed his lips as all five of the women turned towards him, one running a hand along his cheek.

“You know you have an amazing jaw line?”  
“Beautiful eyes,” said another.  
“You’re really a bassist?” Asked another reaching for one of his hands.  
“Are you in a band?”  
“Don’t be too long,” one winked at Shadow Gee. “You’re brother’s cute.”

Shadow Gee leaned forward and whispered something in her ear, making her giggle and blush.

“Well, buy the lovely ladies drinks, Mikey. I'll be about thirty minutes.”

Watching Gerard walk away, and still astounded by the dramatic change in his behaviour, Mikey didn’t even notice that two of the women had attached themselves to him like limpets.

“Er…yeah, so, what would you like?” He asked with a smile, finally relaxing, as they headed toward the bar.

*

The club was dark despite the colourful lights and lasers bouncing around the walls and Mikey had managed to find an unoccupied booth for all of them. Grateful to have just turned twenty-one a couple of months earlier and so no longer needing his fake ID, Mikey enjoyed being able to legally buy alcohol and even more, he was enjoying the attention of five beautiful women, all of whom seemed to be enjoying him equally.

The evening was going unbelievably well. He hadn't expected it to, if he were honest, but then, he still expected to be standing outside so this was exceptional.

Even as the thought crossed his mind, he heard a loud scream coming from across the other side of the bar. Looking up, out of curiosity, he noticed that a fight had broken out. He shook his head. If what he remembered of those bouncers he had seen, whoever started the fight wasn’t going to last long. Turning back to the ladies in the booth, one of them was standing. She frowned and looked at Mikey.

“I think that’s your brother,” she jerked a thumb in the direction of the fight.  
“What?” Mikey gasped, getting to his feet.

His heart sank as he saw Shadow Gee pushed up against one of the club’s walls, his nose bleeding and grinning maniacally at the man holding him, his other arm raised ready to land another punch .

“Oh, fuck!” Mikey swore. “Back in a bit,” he added, scrambling out of the booth and racing to the other side of the club.

As Mikey reached the scene of the fight, one bouncer was already pulling the bigger man back, away from Shadow Gee who was still grinning, his eyes wide and wild.

“I’m gonna fucking kill you!” The other man raged as he was dragged away with Shadow Gee waving and smiling at him.

Mikey grabbed Shadow Gee’s arm and pulled it down.

“Stop it!” He snapped. “What are you taunting him for? You’re just making it worse!”  
“Ah, he’s a loser,” Shadow Gee scowled.  
“And you’re a winner are you?” Mikey retorted angrily.  
“Certainly am, Mikes. I just got a contract to paint murals across the whole club.”  
“Wow!” Mikey was almost lost for words. “How?”  
“Talent, what do you expect?”  
“But you don’t even have your portfolio with you,” Mikey looked confused.  
“When you have this much talent, you don’t need anything else. Now, show me where you’re sitting,” he replied smugly as he began to follow Mikey back to the booth.  
“What happened…” Mikey began tentatively. “With the guy?”  
“Oh, that?” He shrugged. “I don’t think he liked that I was hitting on his girlfriend.”  
“Well if you didn’t know…”  
“Oh, I knew,” he laughed. “I interrupted him while he was kissing her. He wasn’t doing a very good job of it.”

Mikey turned wide, shocked eyes towards the man he believed was his brother and received only laughter in return.

“Don’t worry, Mikes, you still got the other ladies waiting, yeah?” He paused. “Yeah?”

Mikey nodded, unsure what else to do.

“Okay, I’m older so I pick first, I get three, you get the other two. Okay?”  
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Mikey yelled as they reached the booth.  
“Ladies, my brother’s gay,” Shadow Gee began. “So, it’s all of you with me tonight. Is that okay? Let’s go.”  
“What the fuck!” Mikey raged. “I’m not gay and where are you going?”  
“Home, with these lovely ladies.” Shadow Gee shrugged. “You can stay, you’re no fun!”

Mikey watched astonished and furious as they walked to the exit of the club, all five of the women fighting for space to be near Shadow Gee.

“Hey, cutie,” a male voice spoke softly at his side. “Can I get you a drink?”

Mikey closed his eyes and sighed heavily.


	7. Mikey meets Frank

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikey is furious with Gerard and goes to his house to have it out with him. There he meets Frank, but not straight away

“Okay,” Ray sighed as he stacked the empty pizza boxes. “This is a lot to get my head around.”  
“A lot for you?” Gerard laughed, rolling his eyes. “I’ve been dealing with this for over two weeks!”  
“And by ‘this’, he means me,” Frank shrugged his tiny shoulders, making air quotes with one hand whilst in the other he held a small chunk of oil laden sweet pepper. “This is really nice by the way. What is it?”  
“It’s a vegetable,” Gerard replied with a frown.  
“A vegetable? What sort?”  
“A red one.”  
“Nice,” Frank didn't feel the need to question him on it further, either that or he picked up on his disgruntled tone.  
“Frankie,” Gerard continued as his fairy godfather took another bite of the deliciously sweet red vegetable. “What exactly are we going to do about this?”  
“Oh, well,” he began as he licked some of the oil that had run down his fingers onto the side of his hand.  
“Frankie!”  
“Relax, Gerard!” Frank raised an eyebrow. “Fairies have to eat too and most of what you had in those boxes would have made me ill! Thank goodness for red vegetables!”  
“Yes, yes, three cheers for sweet peppers!” Gerard replied in mild frustration. “After that, what are we going to do?”  
“It’s really late, we should get some sleep,” Frank replied.  
“Sleep!” Gerard cried. “My shadow’s out there, somewhere, probably causing chaos and who knows what and you want to sleep?”  
“It's been a busy day,” Frank argued.  
“It has,” Gerard snapped in return. “I’ve lost a job, been attacked twice… oh and, of course, you’ve set my shadow off on an egotistical rampage!”  
“To be fair, Gee, I don’t think it was entirely my fault,” Frank pouted. “It was like it was ready for me.”

Gerard sighed heavily and he looked down, calming as he did.

“It was,” he nodded. “After it broke free, it… he…?”  
“It,” Frank corrected.  
“It told me that it’s been waiting and trying to get away for a long time.”

Ray opened another couple of bottles of soda and carefully poured out a small amount into the cap before handing it to Frank. 

“Thanks,” Frank smiled at the bottle cap half-filled with Diet Coke and watched mesmerised as the bubbles danced and popped on the surface.

“Frankie?” Gerard began tiredly. “What do we do?”  
“We can’t do anything until tomorrow,” he finally looked up, a guilty expression gracing his face.  
“Why?” Ray asked, cutting in before Gerard had time to speak. 

Ray wasn’t certain about what his reaction would be; his expression was entirely unreadable, but it could have have been anything from bursting into tears to screaming at the top of his lungs. Neither would be particularly helpful, but Ray was getting the distinct impression that Gerard was feeling particularly vulnerable right now and any reaction was likely to cause them all distress.

“It’s dark, Ray,” Frank explained. “It’s a shadow. It can hide from us easily, not so much in daylight. In fact, it has to show itself in daylight. We will find it,” he added hoping that his tone and demeanour sounded convincing.  
“And then?” 

Ray pressed, wanting to know the plan in its entirety. He knew that if there was a plan, both he and Gerard would feel much better. Frank nodded, understanding the need for detail.

“It’s quite a simple spell,” he explained. “It won’t take much time or effort, but it will be easier if I catch it by surprise…” he paused. “Like it did with me.”  
“Makes sense,” Ray nodded. “I think you’re right though, a bit of sleep is a good idea. Sounds like we’ll have plenty to do tomorrow.”  
“I should be able to track it,” Frank added. “I touched it, so…”

He was suddenly interrupted by a loud hammering sound on the front door, immediately followed by three, maybe four doorbell rings.

“Gerard!” A voice called angrily. “Open the door!”

Frank stared nervously up, he had already been attacked once tonight and he was reluctant to be attacked again. Whoever was at the door sounded furious and he knew that the nervous and tired condition he was in meant that Gerard would almost certainly forget to call on him for help. He couldn’t offer any more freebies. If he did, there would be severe consequences; too severe for him to even allow himself to think about them. He had already almost broken so many rules he was concerned about what Pete, his supervisor, would say. One of the many reasons he hadn’t returned with the news of Gerard's shadow’s escape was because of what Pete might say. Not just Pete though, the Governing Council of Fairy God-Mothers and Fathers would have plenty to say. At best, he would be in disgrace, would have to repeat the year and hope to still qualify. At worst, he shuddered at the thought, they would take his wings. The thought of it scared him - no, terrified him. Lost in his thoughts, he hadn’t even notice Ray place his soda down on the table, rise from his seat and head for the source of the angry noise. As he opened the door, he was met by an enraged scowl as Mikey pushed his way past.

“Where is he?” Mikey growled. “Still out? Still groping women?”  
“Don’t forget you can ask me to protect you, Gee,” Frank cut in quickly, only to be ignored.

Getting to his feet, Gerard frowned at his brother as he stormed into the living room.

“What’s up, Mikes?”

Crossing the floor in mere seconds, Mikey didn’t wait to explain but instead threw a right hook that connected sharply with Gerard's left jaw. His head jarred sharply to the right, causing a sideways whiplash effect and knocking him back into the couch on which he had been sitting. Lying sprawled on the couch, Gerard gathered his wits, placing a tentative hand on his already swelling jaw. But before he even had a moment to take stock, Mikey had pulled him backwards until he was almost kneeling on the couch but largely upright. A second blow sent him reeling back down and before he could repeat the process, Ray had seized his Mikey's arms and was doing his best to hold him, which was proving to be no easy task.

“What the fuck, Mikey!” Gerard spluttered, in a somewhat muffled voice.  
“Oh, fuck off, Gee! Don’t even try to pretend you don’t know what I'm talking about!”  
“I really don’t,” Gerard replied, still confused. “Did I forget to meet you somewhere?”  
“The club?” Mikey waved his arms out to the side, frustrated and angry by what he saw as his brother refusing to accept that his behaviour had been appalling to say the least.  
“I… I don’t…” he stammered in reply. “I was supposed to…”  
“You’re unbelievable!” Mikey raged. “Where did you take all those women? Are they here?”  
“Gee?” Ray began. “Could it be your shadow?”  
“And, I swear, Gee, if you suggest I'm gay one more time, I'm going to…”  
“Woah, woah, woah!” Gerard waved his hands in front of him as suddenly what Ray was suggesting seemed the only possible solution. “It wasn't me!”

Mikey looked down, shaking his head, his anger still building. Ray stared, concerned by the flexing and extending of his fingers into and out of ever tightening fists. Frank, still perched on the arm of the sofa, finished the last of his capful of soda and placing it carefully and silently down, unfolded his wings and flew to sit on Ray’s shoulder.

“Why won’t Gee ask me to help him?” Frank asked watching what appeared to be a tense standoff between a perplexed Gerard and a livid Mikey, wound tighter than a coiled spring.  
“Are you suggesting that I don’t know my own brother?” Mikey asked, quietly, sharply; fighting to contain his fury.  
“Well, I'm not sure I know my own!” Gerard replied, encouraging a shake of Ray’s head. “You’re accusing me of lying to you!”

Mikey launched himself forward again. Straddling his brother on the couch and raising his arm to strike him again, he was momentarily baffled when his arm refused to swing back down and only moments later he was being dragged backwards away from the couch.

“Get off me, Ray!” Mikey screamed. “You weren’t there, you don’t know what he did!”  
“Whatever you're talking about, neither was he!” Ray yelled in reply, struggling to contain the furious man. “He’s been here all night!”

Reaching out with his long legs, Mikey tried to kick Gerard as he still lay on the couch, half hidden under two cushions that had now fallen across him. Dragging him back further, Ray turned to the now hovering fairy.

“Can’t you do something?” He pleaded. “I’m not going to be able to hold him for long!”  
“You too!” Mikey yelled, almost screeched. “You’re holding me so he can hit me? Is he that much of a coward?” He protested.  
“Gee has to ask me,” Frank shrugged.  
“Gee!” Ray insisted. “Get Frankie to do something!”  
“Get off me!” Mikey yelled as he twisted and writhed in Ray’s grip.  
“Like what?” Gerard asked, pushing the cushions back out of the way.

Mikey finally wrenched free and raced forward, dragging Gerard from the couch.

“Like stop him doing that!” Ray countered, moving forward to try to pull Mikey back again.  
“Frankie!” Gerard yelped as he landed heavily on his knees. “Help!”  
“On it!”

Frank cracked his knuckles almost silently and set to work. As he had done in the park, he grew in size until his head brushed the ceiling, his eyes blazed, his wings crackling with fire.

“Mikey!” His voice boomed, but receiving only a terrified stare from Ray.  
“It’s not working,” Ray shouted in disbelief as Mikey continued to ignore the now fearsome fairy.

Moving in once more to pull Mikey from on top of Gerard, now trying desperately to cover his face to prevent his brother raining blows down on him, Ray found himself unexpected pushed back by Frank, who was astonished to be ignored. Frank dragged Mikey from on top of Gerard easily and deposited him on the floor. Mikey turned, his eyes widening as he noticed Ray was some five feet away. 

“H-how did you do that?” He stammered as Gerard scrambled off the couch and out of reach.  
“He didn't, I did!” Frank’s voice boomed again.  
“Well?” Mikey repeated, still looking at Ray, but calming in his confusion.  
“I didn’t, Frankie did,” Ray replied. “Can’t you see him?”  
“See who?”

Frank, still filling half the room, shrugged and raised his palms upwards in a gesture of confusion. 

“I don't know why he can’t see me,” he said. “This is the first time this has happened.”  
“Frankie,” Ray replied. “He pulled you back. He’s a…” Ray’s voice tapered off.  
“He’s a what?” Mikey asked, pushing himself to his feet and offering Gerard a brief glare.  
“He’s a fairy,” Ray almost mumbled.  
“Right,” Mikey threw his hands up in disbelief. “That’s it! I don’t know what you guys are trying to pull, or what you’ve been taking, but when you come down and you’re ready to apologise, I'll be at home.”  
“No!” Gerard cried. “Don’t go, Mikes, he’s telling the truth. I don't know why you can't see him but he’s real. You felt him, if nothing else.”  
“Oh, right,” Mikey replied scornfully. “So this guy’s a fairy then, is he? Well, what’s he doing here?”  
“He’s looking after me,” Gerard replied, only now realising that the explanation wouldn’t help. “He’s my fairy godfather.”

Mikey looked between the two of them, angry, frustrated and now deeply disappointed in both of them.

“I’m outta here. You’re both on something!”  
“No!” Gerard replied. “Frankie, stop him.”

Mikey headed for the door, only to feel some invisible force wrapping around him preventing him from moving any further. No matter how he pulled or twisted, he could not break free of whatever was holding him.

“Why can’t he see you?” Gerard asked, puzzled.  
“I don’t know,” Frank admitted. “Maybe I should try another shape?”

Pausing for a moment to think about what to do, Frank decided that perhaps the frightening, almost demonic, image needed a full reversal. A magical, sparkling, delightful one was needed perhaps? Releasing Mikey from his grip, Frank morphed into another magical being in the hope that Mikey would see him this time. He didn’t even need to ask as a sudden shriek of fright emerged from the younger Way brother’s lips.

“You can see him now?” Ray asked.  
“You’ve got a fucking unicorn in your living room!” He gasped.  
“Well, now he’s a unicorn, yes,” Gerard smiled. “Usually he’s a fairy.”

Mikey fell back down onto the arm of the couch, his eyes glazed.

“Well, that explains everything, doesn’t it,” he replied. It would have sounded sarcastic but for the sheer disbelief in his voice.  
“No,” Gerard chuckled. “Look, get comfy. I’ll make some coffee and we’ll explain everything.”  
“Good luck explaining why I'm staring at a fucking unicorn, Gee! If the explanation isn’t that there’s something in the air in here, then I’m going mad!”  
“No, neither. Frankie, if you change back, will he still see you?” Gerard asked.  
“Let’s try,” Frank replied with a smile as he returned to his usual tiny Self with sparkling pink wings.  
“Can you see him?” Gerard asked.  
“Pink fairy?”  
“Yeah!”  
“Great! I’m mad!” Mikey replied almost despondently, raising an eyebrow as Gerard chuckled again.

Despite Mikey now being able to see Frank, it took the better part of an hour for Gerard and Frank to explain everything to him and to convince him that it had not been Gerard with him at the club but his shadow. By the end of the tale Mikey held a vacant expression on his face that seemed to be somewhere between disbelief and assumed madness, but given he had the evidence of his own eyes, he did his best to process the information.

“So,” Mikey began. “You know that moment when you think you're going out with your brother but it turns out to be his psychotic shadow instead with wild ideas and even wilder behaviour? No? Just me then?”


End file.
